Yearlings should yield to halters and leads.

As spring clips along, foaling seems to pick up speed. Newborn horses arrive at many farms, keeping equine breeders busy.

At the same time, the season may spell a new stage in development for last year’s crop of foals.

Is your yearling willingly wearing a halter and gaining compliance with leading?

If not, it’s probably time to start practicing. That lanky and leggy lad (or lass) is likely ready for some serious ground training.

Maybe it’s time to clean and stow that foal halter for the next youngster to wear. 

Yearling halters are designed especially for those spirited and ever-growing one year olds.

Take a look at these yearling halter options:

• Hamilton 1" Yearling Turnout Halter
• 1/4" Double Braid Polyester Yacht Rope Halter for Yearling Horse
• Rose America 48214 BMB Premium Yearling Horse Halter
• Tough 1 Nylon Padded Yearling Horse Halter with Satin Hardware
• Weaver Leather Yearling Draft Horse Halter Black With Sand Stripe

The Mane Point: A Haven for Horse Lovers is participating in the April A to Z Blogging Challenge again this year. Stop on back, so you don’t miss a single post!

Image/s:

Yearling in Halter

by Turkmen Stud Farm

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Blog series graphics created by this user

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Baby's got a new blanket - just in time!

Winter weather is sweeping into the Upper Midwest in a hurry, but my horse is ready. Is yours?

This peppy little mare has never worn a winter blanket before. OK, the truth is: We started her a little late, and she’s never really worked through a winter. So I always just let her grow a fuzzy winter coat.

This time’s different.

She’s a big girl now. She’s working like a grown-up horse – at least, most of the time. So it’s time for winter clothes.

She’s never worn a turnout blanket before. Sure, she’s modeled her late-great momma’s  Polarfleece Cooler and Irish Knit Sweat Sheet But this is a brand-new day for this young diva.

I found a screaming deal on a Weaver Midweight Horse Turnout Blanket. You can find the same blanket at Amazon, plenty of tack stores, and maybe even Farm & Fleet or Tractor Supply. I snagged hers on eBay for a song. (And it’s still brand-new – with tags – in the original packaging.)

Once it arrived, I stitched up a personalized name label and sewed it right to the front of the blanket. Her brand-new turnout blanket bears her name, right between the buckles.

There is no way anyone can honestly mistake this for another horse’s blanket.

More important: There is no way anyone can mix this pretty mare up with any other horse in the barn, as she’ll be wearing her “nametag” all winter. She’s not likely to end up in a strange stall, with another horse in her place.

Seriously, that happened – at least once.

It’s a long story, but it had something to do with a teen barn helper, who was probably more focused on text messaging than on the pair of chestnut mares she was leading in from turnout. 

Suffice it to say: It’s a good thing neither horse had medications in her feed bucket.

Yeah, that’s not gonna happen again.

That helper has moved on to greener pastures … or something like that.

And my mare’s prancing out to turnout in a fabulous new green personalized blanket. She’s even putting on airs, as if to say:

“Lookie here. I have a wardrobe now!”

Phew, just in time. Here comes the sub-zero windchill.

Image:

Weaver Midweight Turnout Blanket

promo photo - fair use

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This old horsey wives' tale leads to a nightmare

Horse wisdom is passed from generation to generation, and top horsemen tend to be willing to learn from the sages of the ages. Still, sometimes old assumptions are pretty sketchy.

Take this one, for example.

“To establish dominance over a green horse, 

rub some of your own sweat on his nose.”

Raise your hand, if you've heard that one before. (Better yet, leave a comment to let me know where and when you heard it. I'd be willing to bet there's a story behind it.)

OK, this may help a horse to become acquainted with his human handler. And no one would doubt that colt starting takes plenty of human sweat.

But seriously?

Methinks there’s a whole lot more to it than that.

Image/s:

Rearing Horse

By Annalisa Parisi

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Happy Mother's Day to All the Super-Moms and Super-Mares

Moms are marvelous.

'Nuff said.

Miss you, Ash. (And your daughter is growing up gorgeous, by the way.)

Image/s:

Photo copyrighted by Linda Ann Nickerson

 Nickers and Ink Creative Communications

All rights reserved

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